As some of you who follow me on Twitter may have noticed, I recently crafted a small bit for inclusion in the write in portion of Anime News Network's Hey, Answerman! column. Unfortunately, I was snubbed there and didn't have my writings brought to a larger than usual mass, but as I was planning on ranting about that topic on my blog anyways, I shall put it here regardless. (Damn you, Answerman!!!)

The question put forth was thus:

How open are you about your anime love with friends, family, and colleagues? Do you wear anime cloting, or read manga on your break? Be honest, damn it!

His incorrect spelling of "dammit" notwithstanding, here was my response:

When it comes to sharing my feelings of the various Japanese related media that I ingest on a day-to-day basis, I'm really very open. After all, why is it that just because a person likes media from a different country, they should be ashamed? For that matter, why are they persecuted? People who really enjoy sports or cars or anything "normal" don't have to face this problem, but they're doing the exact same thing we "otaku" do; follow, enjoy and obsess over their particular subject of interest. I suppose it's the "die hards" that taint the perception of the anime crowd, but aren't we all annoyed by that one person who won't shut up about his obsession (whatever it may be)? But, now I'm delving into another topic all together. I enjoy my anime, my manga, and Japanese culture in general and I'm not afraid to share that enjoyment with those I'm with. But, at the same time, I try to keep in mind that they may not enjoy the subject as much as I do and adjust my level of enthusiasm accordingly.

One thing I did not mention, but was actually a driving force for me writing something in the first place, is a nerd's treatment of another type of nerd. To rant about somebody else's fanboyish obsessions while you yourself are guilty of the same crime, though it may be in a different field, should be punishable by damnation. Granted, I myself am guilty of this, but there it is.

/rant